A heartbreaking scene unfolded on the Oregon Coast after a young humpback whale became stranded near San Marine and could not be freed despite extensive rescue efforts.
What happened?
Crews and community members worked through the weekend of November 15 and 16 and into Monday, but experts ultimately made the difficult decision to humanely euthanize the animal.
One advocate said it was "a painful reminder" of the preventable dangers that whales face from entanglement in fishing gear.
The whale reportedly became tangled in a line from a crab pot on the Saturday night, as photos shared online suggested.
Responders from NOAA Fisheries, the Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network, and the Oregon State Police arrived to help.
Meanwhile, witnesses dug trenches to keep the whale in the water during high tide. Rescue crews also used a pulley system to try turning the whale toward the sea.
On Monday morning, rescuers placed a bridle around the 26-foot, roughly 6,000-pound humpback and attempted to guide it during high tide.
Unfortunately, the lines broke, and the bridle slipped off. With the tide falling quickly, another attempt wasn't possible.
"Trying to get a 6,000-pound animal off the beach is quite an undertaking," said Jane Holbrook of the Oregon Marine Mammal Stranding Network.
By late morning, officials said the whale was unlikely to survive until the next high tide. Because euthanasia had been identified as the most humane option if rescue attempts failed, experts carried it out around 3 p.m.
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Definitely 👍 A necropsy will be conducted next to examine how the entanglement contributed to the whale's stranding.
Why is whale entanglement concerning?
Entanglement in fishing gear is a major threat to whales on the West Coast, especially humpback whales.
NOAA Fisheries reported that entanglements can cause severe injuries, limit a whale's ability to swim or feed, and can often lead to prolonged suffering or death.
"The whale's death is a painful reminder of a preventable problem," said Ben Enticknap of Oceana Fisheries.
In 2024, NOAA confirmed 36 entangled whales off the coasts of Oregon, Washington, and California – the highest number since 2018, with humpbacks making up most cases.
What's being done about whale entanglement?
Oregon has reduced the amount of commercial crab gear in the water and temporarily closed some coastal areas during seasons when whales were most likely to be present.
Researchers are also working with fishermen to test on-demand or "ropeless" fishing gear that removes many of the vertical lines that whales encounter.
Officials encourage the public to report stranded or injured marine mammals to the Marine Mammal Stranding Network and to always keep a safe distance so that trained responders can work safely.
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